1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices and methods and, more particularly to a fully integrated hand held ultrasonic diagnostic instrument.
As is well known, modem ultrasonic diagnostic systems are large, complex instruments. Today's premium ultrasound systems, while mounted in carts for portability, continue to weigh several hundred pounds. In the past, ultrasound systems such as the ADR 4000 ultrasound system produced by Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc. were smaller, desktop units about the size of a personal computer. However, such instruments lacked many of the advanced features of today's premium ultrasound systems such as color Doppler imaging and three dimensional display capabilities. As ultrasound systems have become more sophisticated they have also become bulkier.
However, with the ever increasing density of analog and digital electronics, it is now possible to foresee a time when ultrasound systems will be able to be miniaturized to a size even smaller than their much earlier ancestors. The physician is accustomed to working with a hand held ultrasonic scanhead which is about the size of an electric razor. It would be desirable, consistent with the familiar scanhead, to be able to compact the entire ultrasound system into a scanhead-sized unit. It would be further desirable for such an ultrasound instrument to retain as many of the features of today's sophisticated ultrasound systems as possible, such as speckle reduction, color Doppler and three dimensional imaging capabilities.
Ultrasonic imagining devices incorporating an entire ultrasound system into a scanhead-sized unit will be referred to hereinafter as "fully integrated" devices. In addition to a primary objective of compactness, as set forth above, such fully integrated ultrasound imaging devices would desirably possess a number of other features and characteristics which would benefit the user. For example, it would be desirable for the fully integrated device to operate free from connecting cords, cables, and other attachments, such as power cords. In particular, it would be desirable if such fully integrated devices included an on-board battery which is configured and packaged to permit easy recharging, preferably as part of a storage system where the imaging device is stowed between successive uses. Such storage systems for the device would further preferably provide for protection of the device while maintaining the device in an orientation which permits the viewing of stored images. Of course, the device should also be configured so that the image can be viewed in realtime as the device is scanned across a patient. The device should preferably include a user interface which is both convenient and reconfigurable. Thus, it would be beneficial for the device to have one or more conveniently located dedicated-function keys or buttons as well as having multi-function keys and buttons and/or a full function keyboard to permit more sophisticated and a larger variety of functions. At least some of these objectives will be met by the devices, systems, and methods of the present invention as set forth hereinafter and in the claims.
2. Description of the Background Art
Related patents and pending applications which are commonly assigned with the present application include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,722,412 and 5,817,024; and U.S. Ser. Nos. 08/826,543 and 09/167,964, the full disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.